Tainted Pureblood
by HPIsHowIRoll
Summary: ...Purebloods will continue marrying and magic will one day up and die. I can’t believe I’m saying this, Granger, but you’re better than prison and no magic any day... HGDM
1. An Unexpected Discovery

Pureblood. Mudblood. It was all the same, wasn't it? I mean, that was what they were fighting for, right?

It was a rather mundane day, considering they were immersed in a full scale war effort. Ever since Harry had found and destroyed the final horcrux, it had been nothing but the offensive. No point in delaying the inevitable, regardless of the outcome. Hermione was doing her best to make sure the outcome would be a good one, mapping out plans of attack.

Her discovery was made quite by accident. She had to do some research for their plans and had asked for help. Of course, the only one who wasn't 'too busy' to be assigned to her aid was one Draco Malfoy, because he was hiding out at the Order headquarters like a scared child. Someone should have told him that cowardice didn't flatter his high cheekbones and muscular stature.

They sat at a table in the library of Grimmuald Place, pouring over books. "Seems almost like Hogwarts, doesn't it, Granger? Only, you know, I'm not calling you any names." Hermione stopped for a moment and cocked her head at Malfoy, but went back to work. "You know, I think we may have been friends in another life, where our bloods were the same." Twitch. _Don't let him get a rise. Don't react._ "We have a lot of the same interests. I've often wondered how someone as smart as yourself was born with such pare-"

"MALFOY! Seriously!" She'd had enough, evidently. He'd wondered how long it would take to push all her buttons. "You're sitting here in the Order, run by MY best friend who is trying to kill YOUR Dark Lord because you're too CHICKEN to fight for EITHER side. You'll excuse me if I don't think we could have been friends in any life, regardless of parentage! And for that matter, if you're going to hide out here, I think you'd better get used to the idea that there is no difference. Pureblood, mudblood, it's all the same Malfoy! All the bloody same!"

They sat in silence for most of the remainder of the day, looking through their books, Malfoy pondering what Granger had said. It was nearing dusk when Hermione found something that made her blood run cold. Her mudblood. It sat there in black and white, plain as day. Blood _did _make a difference. But not the way anyone expected.

Not many witches or wizards could have deciphered what Hermione was seeing as easily as she could, though it wasn't something she felt like bragging about at the moment. From the genealogy chart she stared at, it was evident that if Voldemort won his war, magic would be forever destroyed. His quest to annihilate all those of dirty blood would cause magic to effectively disappear. Purebloods were… ticking time bombs. She immediately got up from the table, causing Malfoy to look up sharply and eventually follow.

Not ten minutes later, Hermione sat with Ron, Harry, and Remus, telling them what she had stumbled upon. "So basically, there is a gene within all pureblood families that will eventually destroy magic. If purebloods continue to only procreate with one another, a child will eventually be born who, in essence, will accidentally be the downfall of wizard kind." She was met only with baffled looks.


	2. Intelligent Conversation

A/N: I think this is quite possibly the fastest I have ever been motivated enough to update, because I got three reviews right after I posted the story. I know that doesn't sound like much, but to me it's a lot, especially when it's within such a short span of time. So here goes the second chapter of Tainted Pureblood. Hopefully, you like it. It's basically an explanatory chapter without much (ok, well anything) happening... but I swear it's plot furthering.

* * *

So, basically, the entire Order knew something was up. Hermione had been holed up in the library for three solid days with strict orders for no one to enter with the exception of Harry, who brought her food three times a day and disappeared inside the walls with her for two or more hours at a time.

Draco wasn't terribly curious, though. He assumed they had just figured out something important that would help them kill Voldemort and Granger was double checking before sending Hero-Boy and The Red Haired Wonder into combat (and if she had been wrong in her discovery, certain death). He was excited for the first time in his life, actually, because soon he could come out of hiding with complete immunity because of how early he "saw the light". He wasn't stupid, you know.

He was a pretty good actor, he thought. He had convinced the do-gooders (well, except mainly Granger, who seemed to see right through him and push all his buttons) that he was a changed man who no longer hated muggles and mudbloods. For this, he got three meals a day, a warm place to stay, and safety from being killed by whichever side of the war hated him the most at the moment.

That's not to say he didn't want Voldemort dead. He was a real pain in the ass. Draco Malfoy bowed to _no one_, not even some crazy Lord of Doom… unless it would save his own butt. Despite his firm belief that mudbloods were below him, he wasn't too keen on killing anyone, and he preferred that he just be left alone to his riches and better-than-everyone-ness. As that wasn't possible in the midst of a war built upon principle and insanity, he figured being holed up in a safe haven that didn't torture him (as the Death Eaters were fond of doing when he messed up) was the next best scenario.

The only real downside was that damned Granger- everyone else just left him alone. She was constantly at him, no matter what he did. He had tried to be nice, really he had! For example, the other day when they had been studying in the library, he had even said he thought they may have been friends! But that woman would put forth no effort. She just saw him as a spoiled brat… it was almost as if she believed _he _was beneath _her, _which was quite laughable indeed.

It wasn't only that bothering him about Granger. Perhaps it was the isolation but more and more he found himself wanting to talk to her, if only for the excitement of the witty banter. Contrary to popular belief, he was by no means stupid. He was cold and calculating, and to be so meant he had to be logical and well read. He was held up to the highest of standards, because he was a pureblood, and that was just the way things were.

He wasn't an idiot. And he needed intelligent conversation (or at least, that was what he told himself when he found himself wanting her company). Granger wasn't the only intelligent conversation he could find at the Order, but she was there by far the most, and it just made the most sense to him (another one of those things he told himself when he found himself wanting her company). Not that he could ever convince her that he seriously just wanted someone to talk to…


	3. Survival Instinct

Finally, after five days, seven hours, and twenty-three minutes, Hermione was absolutely, positively, without a doubt sure. She had retraced all of her research countless times and every retracing gave the same grim results- sooner or later, a pureblood be born to destroy magic. How could they possibly stop it? It was extremely complex to explain, and she wasn't sure that the purebloods would listen, even after the war was won. It seemed that they would have to go to the ministry about this. The corrupt, Potter-hating ministry. Hopefully, after Voldemort was dead, they would like him a little better. Either that, or magic was as good as gone.

The only thing to do now was to tell the order, and see how their resident evil cockroach would take the news. This was sure to be an accurate representation of how all other purebloods would react, though on a far lower scale, since Malfoy couldn't afford to get kicked out of the Order's safe haven. Unfortunately, this would also affect some of the purebloods that were fighting for their side, who had happened to marry other purebloods, such as the Weasleys. It was, therefore, with great trepidation that Hermione and Harry called the Order into the kitchen for a meeting, knowing that they were about to change at least some lives.

…"So, that effectively means that eventually a pureblood child will be born where this gene manifests itself and magic will be wiped out. I can't really explain it scientifically, because it's so unprecedented… but I guess the gene's effect is magical, and therefore only lives within fully magical people, ie, purebloods."

Malfoy's face had gone white. No one could really tell what he was thinking. Finally, he stood up and told them. "I think this is a load of bullshit, if you don't mind me saying. I mean, you did some research and found a gene. How could you possibly know for sure that it will wipe out magic? I mean, it hasn't happened yet, so you don't really know… all you can do is guess. Besides, purebloods have been intermarrying for centuries! It was actually not terribly long ago, in the grand scheme of things, that we began marrying muggles and tainted our blood in the first place!"

"Although you have a point, Malfoy, I think that the original urge to intermarry may have actually been a survival instinct. Muggles have been researching what attracts people to one another, and there is actually scientific proof that we are usually attracted to people with very different genes, so as to give birth to a child with the strongest possible immunities. Muggles have known for a long time that marrying your family will eventually create health problems, and purebloods are all basically a family now that there are so few. They are so genetically close to each other that even if we hadn't discovered this gene, eventually purebloods would have died out from low immune systems and things like anemia."

"Anemawho? This is making no sense, Granger, you're talking about muggle research! What do they know, they don't even have magic!"

'Malfoy, you don't have to accept it, but it's fact. I've gone over it time and time again. Fact is, it's dangerous for any purebloods to procreate with one another. They run the risk of giving birth to, more or less, the end of the magical world. And surely, that is not what purebloods have in mind…"


	4. Heart Warming Death Eater Meetings

After Hermione's pureblood revelations, Malfoy went to the library to sort out his emotions. He hadn't done a terribly good job of hiding them back in the kitchen, and he blamed his continued exposure to mushy, touchy feely Order members for that weak moment. Perhaps they were driving him a bit mad.

Either way, now Draco was left to figure out alone what this meant for him, his beliefs, and his family. If what Hermione had said was true, how could he marry a pureblood and continue his family line without risking wiping out magic? It would be an insane thing to do… almost as insane as marrying a halfblood, or worse, a mudblood.

So deep was Draco in his thoughts that he didn't notice Hermione come into the library. She looked at him, still extremely pale, drumming his fingers on the table, looking lost in thought. "You know, Malfoy, this isn't the end of the world. No one's saying you have to kill yourself or anything."

"Oh, but they basically are. I have to taint my blood, blood that's been pure for centuries. Haven't you seen the Black family crest around here, Granger? Toujours Pur? Always Pure? These people are my mother's family."

"That's just what I'm saying, Malfoy. The Blacks and the Malfoys, the Parkinsons, the Weasleys… all of you are cousins! Even if this gene didn't exist, isn't the thought of marrying family a little disgusting?"

"That… I've never thought of it like that. It's not like we all have Sunday tea together. It's not like we've grown up raised as brothers and sisters. Our families aren't really close, unless you count those heart-warming Death Eater meetings."

"Emotionally close or not, you're genetically close. It's gross, seriously. Muggles would find you disgusting." It was at this point that Hermione began to wonder if she had crossed an unwritten line. She had. Malfoy stood up, his face actually red with anger.

"And just what the bloody hell are you insinuating, Granger? It's my blood that's pure here, not theirs. They're not even magical! They have to go about their daily lives, doing everything by hand. They have to make up ridiculous things like cars to get themselves around, they even have to clean by _hand._ It's filthy!"

"And just how do you know all this? Have you been reading some of these books about muggles I've got in here? Because you seem awfully knowledgeable."

"Well…" Malfoy stammered, because he had, in fact, been reading the books on muggles. "It's research! You have to know your enemy… and all that…" He stammered. "Listen, it's none of your business what I read. The point is that they're filthy and beneath us."

"They're actually quite smart, they have made their lives fairly easy considering they don't have magic. I never knew any better before I was at Hogwarts. I still do things the muggle way quite often, in fact. You get more of a sense of accomplishment from it." Malfoy stared at her as if she had been possessed.

"How in the hell can you stand there with a straight face and tell me that the muggle way of doing things is better than magic? That's just crazy! Besides, we're not arguing about that. We're arguing about the fact that you're saying I'm going to have to marry someone who is filthy and beneath me. It's unfathomable!"

Hermione had taken just about all she was willing to take in the name of showing the light to Draco Malfoy. It was with this in mind that she did what she did next. Perhaps it was mixed in with a slight bout of temporary insanity. Later, she couldn't explain why she'd done it, only that she wanted to shut Malfoy up about how different halfblood and mudblood and pureblood all were. So… she kissed him. But the thing about it was, he actually kissed her back…


	5. Read Any Good Books Lately?

-1Kissing Draco Malfoy was perhaps not the most rational thing Hermione Granger had ever done. Ok, scratch that, it was the least rational thing she'd ever done, and probably the most enjoyable while still being slightly gross. After the kiss ended, she didn't know exactly how to react. Should she run away? No, that would make her look weak and vulnerable. Then, Malfoy would know he'd affected her. Wait… he'd affected her? Things weren't looking good.

Hermione was relieved when she didn't have to do anything at all. Draco backed away, his eyes still shut, then they popped open as if he'd just realized what he'd done. "Where the bloody hell did you learn to kiss like that, Granger?!" An awkward silence ensued, where Hermione debated whether or not it was meant to be a rhetorical question.

"Anyway," she began, attempting to pretend nothing had happened, "I just think that it's not the worst thing in the world that could happen, finding this out. Sometimes I wonder if unprejudiced Malfoy would be a good friend, or at least a good companion for witty banter. I quite enjoy our banter when it's not malicious. It makes me have to think."

Draco wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to respond. Of course this was the worst thing in the world that could happen! His parents would kill him if he didn't marry a pureblood! But then the thought dawned on him that they would probably kill him upon sight nowadays anyway. Perhaps it wasn't so bad… maybe Granger would let him get in some mudblood kissing practice? After all, it wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be. One might have even called it pleasurable.

Hermione snapped her fingers in front of Draco's face. "Hello? You in there?"

"Oh. Yeah. Um. Listen, Granger, don't expect this news to completely change my mind about everything. Even if I had to marry someone of a lower blood class than myself, certainly I would never degrade myself to doing things with a mudblood." Why did he say things like this? Seriously, he didn't mean that! It just came out! But from the look on Hermione's face, it wouldn't matter much even if Malfoys never apologized. She was pissed.

"You know what, Malfoy? I can't believe I tricked myself into feeling sorry for you. You're a waste of my time. Oh, and if you're going to believe in blood purity and all that stands for, maybe you should read this." She tossed a book about some muggle, Adolph Hitler, and something called the Holocaust. What would this possibly have to do with him?

Unfortunately for Draco, the book had everything to do with him. He sat in the library, intending at first to only glance over it so as to know how to properly mock Granger for giving it to him. The more he glanced, however, the more absorbed he became in the book, and the more horrified he was at this Hitler guy's similarities to Voldemort. Instead of thinking that only purebloods ought to remain, he had other qualifications. They involved the same things, parentage and blood, but somehow Draco had never envisioned muggles having the same sort of ideals that wizards had.

A nauseous feeling crept into his stomach as he read about concentration camps and all the awful ways muggles had killed one another during their second world war. He read all about Jews, what he considered to be the equivalent of his perception of muggles, and took in stories from their own perspectives about the atrocious things that happened to them. The resemblance to their own current predicament were horrifying.

After he had finished the book, he went to find Hermione in the sitting room downstairs. He cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked up, slightly startled, and then smiled. "So, Malfoy, read any good books lately?"


	6. I Guess We Elope, Then

When the time for the final battle came, it wasn't the Order who initiated it. They had been planning their attack for a week later. But as it was, they really had no choice when Voldemort infiltrated Hogwarts and dared the Order to do something about it. Many red and green flashes of light later, Voldemort was dead, and his Death Eaters rounded up. Draco had always known he'd picked the winning side to cower at. Though he would never, ever admit he'd cowered.

After the win, as expected, the Ministry of Magic attempted to pretend like Harry Potter had always been their man and that they'd expected nothing less than what he'd achieved. All of them knew, of course, what complete and utter bollocks this was, but considering the information they had, they kept it to themselves. Harry had a conversation with the Minister of Magic about the discovery Hermione had made, and they decided that it should be made public by none other than Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.

So, as could be expected, Harry came back with the wonderful news and Hermione and Draco both looked as though they were ready to strangle him. He tried to reason with them, to tell them what a good idea this was. Hermione said that Draco would never do it, Draco said that he would never do it. Case closed, right? Apparently, the Boy-Who-Lived had more power than even Draco believed, because before he knew it, he was preparing a speech with Granger.

"I'm sorry you have to do this. Even though I don't like you or what you believe, it's not fair that you're being forced into it."

"It can't be helped. Besides, it's better than Azkaban. I'll live. And anyway, it's not like it's a lie. Wait… it's not a lie, right?"

"Of course not! How could you even think that?"

"More of a hope, really."

So they sat together once more and tried to decide how to put it to the public that purebloods could no longer marry or procreate. The day of their speech came quickly, as things that you are dreading tend to do. Before they knew it, they were on a podium, addressing the media as well as anyone who had heard about the speech and been able to get there.

"So," Draco concluded, "Purebloods like myself can no longer intermarry or have children. I know how difficult it is, especially considering many of the pureblood beliefs and ideals, but really, what choice is there? It's that or magic will be forever wiped out, and no one wants that, pureblood or otherwise."

"Well said, Mr. Malfoy," the Minister said, shaking his hand and effectively moving him out of his way, "And to this end, I would like to announce a rather exciting experiment! The Ministry has seen fit to assign a prominent pureblood wizard his future spouse, as a sign of good faith that the rest will follow. In one week's time, the Ministry has decreed that Mister Draco Malfoy will wed Miss Hermione Granger!"

Leave it to the Ministry to mess up a good thing.

"Did you know about this Harry?" Hermione stormed at Harry after leaving the podium. Draco followed behind her, his steel gray eyes looking as if they were out for blood.

"I had no idea until just now, I swear Hermione! Why would I have ever agreed to this craziness?!"

Hermione turned to Draco. "What are we going to do?"

"What _can _we do, more like it! If we don't marry, I will be chucked in Azkaban, and the public will refuse to believe your research. Purebloods will continue marrying and magic will one day up and die. I can't believe I'm saying this, Granger, but you're better than prison and no magic any day."

"Why thank you, **fiance**," Hermione said, still completely livid at Draco and the minister, not only for throwing this on them while they were on stage, but for actually believing that they would go along with it. Well, of course they would… he'd given them no choice, waiting until they had made their announcement!

"I guess we have to get married in a week, whether we like it or not. It's not like it means we have to love each other, or even like it. Who says we even have to live together?" Draco turned to Hermione as he said this, only to find her ashen faced and holding a scroll. He didn't think he wanted to know. No, strike that, he knew he didn't want to know. Anything that could scare Hermione Granger, he was quite sure was beyond his bravery.

"It says…" Hermione began, then stopped to take a gulp of air. "It says that not only do we have to marry, but we have to successfully live together and produce an heir to prove to the wizarding community that my accusations are real. I guess the purebloods who are still in the ministry figured that if I was lying or even the least bit unsure, I would call of the wedding and let them cart you off to Azkaban."

"Well, this puts a damper on things, doesn't it. Well, they can't make us like it, can they?"

"No, I suppose not. I guess we'd better start planning the wedding."

"I guess a small affair is out of the question?"

"Why don't we elope tonight? That way, we don't have to have a big to-do, with a media circus headed by Rita Skeeter."

"No way, Granger, I can't elope. Malfoys don't elope."

"Malfoys don't marry mudbloods either, you know."

"Touche. I guess we elope, then."


End file.
